Joshua Williams
English 160 Blog
Upon entering UIC, I didn’t know what to think. A part of me was scared, while another part was excited, and a third part was determined. The residence halls are located near the CTA train station and also along the bus route. On move-in day, I saw the Courtyard which is a large brown building with tinted windows. I got my keys and stumbled through the building trying to find my place until eventually I asked for directions. Shortly after, I met the people of my cluster (a cluster being an small group of rooms sharing a bathroom) and was amazed at how diverse we all were, almost all of us being a member of a different race. Being new on campus I wasn’t exactly scared, but I wasn’t comfortable either. I’m glad to say that later on this discomfort went away entirely.
In the weeks to come I learned a lot more about UIC’s history. I read about how classes were given at the Navy Pier and the pressure for a public university lead to the birth of the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle in 1965. The new campus was located in a working class, multi -ethnic neighborhood, and destroyed many homes. The campus was built in sections, the west campus dorms being built between 1965 -1969. This gave the largely commuter school a place to house some of its students. UIC was formed by the joining of the Medical Center campus and the Chicago Circle campus in 1982, and this merger allowed the university to maintain a higher level of research. Over the years the university has only improved, and its determination in providing excellent education has not wavered.
The people are nice, and everyone is always quickly walking somewhere and usually in groups. I found it relatively easy to make friend, and now it’s common for us to stay up late together, even if we have class in the morning. I found that just like my cluster, the rest of UIC is very diverse, sporting people from many ethnic groups, languages, and walks of life. My new friends, along with a large number of students in the residence halls, live close to home and visit home often. I am always glad to see them when they come back, and I am sure we will have long and fulfilling friendships.
Later on I became better acquainted with the buildings. Upon arriving I noticed that the Courtyard was big brown and gothic and the architecture of the other buildings was similarly large and stoic, except for the Art and Design building, which has a very weird abstract exterior, and is not connected like the three residence halls are.
It wasn’t until later that I became acquainted with Thomas Beckham Hall, which consists of two red brick buildings connected by a narrow hallway. The Courtyard, Commons South, Commons West, and Thomas Beckham Hall are all residence halls for UIC students. The hallway of the residence halls could be from a hotel, and the carpet is clearly old, but clean. The Courtyard, Commons South, and Commons West, are all connected on the third floor, and there are a few lounges strategically placed throughout the building. The tower lounge (located on the fifth and final floor) hosts a wonderful view of the city, a big screen TV, electric piano, and a kitchen area. The mailboxes are on the first floor. The front desk is located on the second floor a short walk away from the rooms and provides access to information, has spare keys, and allows UIC students to receive their mail. There laundry room is on the first floor (and is usually full on the weekends). The entire building seems well maintained and I never see the same trash on the ground two days in a row (if there is any trash to be seen at all). There are only two exceptions to observation. The recycling which consists of three bins has a tendency to overflow on the weekends, and I saw flooding on one rainy night. Overall the residence halls of UIC are not extravagant, but not bad either.
The people here are great and I feel safe walking down the halls at night. The people I talked to had mixed feelings about the size of the rooms, some saying they were comfortable, and others saying they didn’t have enough space. The residence halls are a short walk from various other buildings and it was universally agreed upon that it is great being so close to our classes. One UIC student said “It’s pretty convenient because I don’t have to bring everything to each class, and I have time to prepare in between classes.” People often go to eat together and the planned activities, such as concerts and Sunday brunches, give us things to do as well as opportunities to meet new people.
Starting college can feel a bit overwhelming, but with the excellent buildings, maintenance, and people, getting situated in the residence halls was the least of my problems. It is easy to get comfortable and call this place home, and I can say I’m proud to be a UIC student.
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